Spirited Once Again
by Chihiro4
Summary: Chihiro returns to the spirit world, she meets up with everything, but there is a murderous new owner that seems to dislike her a lot. Also, there is also someone who looks a lot like Haku and is trying to get her attention, but Chihiro will not allow it
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Spirited Away, but there is one thing that I can happily call my own. That's Miki. I made her up and she belongs to MY mind!!!!! MwahAHAHAHHa. Anyways, lets get in with the story and pretend that never happened.right?  
  
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Chapter 1: Plans and Remembrances  
  
Chihiro stared out the window of her classroom, daydreaming as usual. Her mind focused on many things, but recently she had been thinking about the Spirit World from three years ago. She remembered that adventure well and even though she had never wanted to go back, she still missed all of the occupants dearly. They had been the best of friends. But one thing she could not get out of her mind was a spirit named Haku. He had been the first to help her and stop her from going completely insane with fear. She missed him so much.  
  
Chihiro was so caught up in her emotions, that she flew off her desk practically when her best friend Miki tapped her shoulder. She fell off the desk with a loud thud.  
  
"OW!" yelled Chihiro. Everybody stared at her then started laughing out loud. "Oh shut up all of you, its not that funny!"  
  
"Chihiro, sit back down in your seat and try to pay attention please! We are having a class field trip tomorrow and I would like you to know what you need to prepare in order to go!" said the teacher in annoyance, half amusement. Chihiro grumbled and slid back into her seat, ignoring the stares she was still receiving.  
  
"As I was saying, tomorrow we will be going on a field trip about nature. We'll be exploring and hiking, so pack sturdy clothes! We will be coming across what probably used to be an old shrine, but none of you are to enter! It is run down and dangerous, so stay away from it! If I find any of you scavenging around there, I will personally make sure you are taught a lesson. On a brighter note, be sure to pack lunches, pencils, and a notebook. We will be writing down several different plants and animals and will do research on them. Please bring back a signed permission slip. Class dismissed!"  
  
All the students immediately started to chatter about the next day's trip. Miki was positively shining with unseen mischief. Chihiro knew exactly what was going on in her head.  
  
"Come on Chihiro, lets go plan about tomorrow!" said Miki with an innocent look on her face. She pulled Chihiro's hand and brought her through the entrance. When there was no one around, she started talking madly fast.  
  
"I say we go and explore that shrine tomorrow! The teachers probably don't want us around it because it has all these stupid superstitions! You know what I heard from my mother? I heard her say that people who go in there, they never come out again! No one knows what happens and no one is alive to tell the tale! I say we go and see what's over there!" said Miki in a mischievous voice filled with delight. Chihiro snorted loudly.  
  
"No one's alive to tell the tale huh? What a load of rubbish," said Chihiro in a surprisingly aggressive voice. Miki raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. "Don't ask, I don't believe in superstitions that much. I don't think we should hang around there, the teachers would get so mad, don't you think?" said Chihiro in a fast and nervous voice. Miki glanced at her awkwardly, and then went back to her evil planning.  
  
Chihiro was thinking rapidly about Miki's train of thought. If that girl planned everything just the right way, Chihiro would have an encounter with the Spirit World. She thought about it and cam to the conclusion that even though she missed that place so much, she did not want her best friend to have to go through the same things she did. She assured herself that they would both be back by dark.  
  
"Oh, this is going to be a great trip! Don't you think Chihiro?" asked Miki in an evil voice.  
  
"What? Uh, sure of course it will, whatever," she replied absentmindedly.  
  
"Chihiro, you've been acting odd lately, and for me to say it, it must be true! I think you need massive amounts of bed rest. See you tomorrow! I suggest you get rest 'cause it's going to be a great field trip!" Yelled Miki as she ran off in the direction of her house.  
  
Chihiro shook her head to get several memorial pictures out of her mind. Her friend Miki was crazy to want to disobey the teacher. It's not like Miki was a trouble student or anything, it was just that she hated being ordered around all the time and going to the abandoned shrine proved to be a fun experience for her. Especially since the teacher had said not to go there.  
  
Chihiro slowly walked home, enjoying the autumn scenery. It was gorgeous.  
  
'Maybe it wasn't that bad moving here 3 years ago, the scenery is so much more beautiful than where I lived before. But I wish you were here Haku. You too Rin, Kamaji, everyone! I miss you all so much. I wish I could see you all again,' whispered the 13 year old girl with a hint of sadness in her voice. She looked up to the sky, a lone tear slipped out and splashed to the ground. She once again shook her head and entered her home. A note was on the door.  
  
Chihiro,  
  
Went to the store to pick up some stuff, soup on the stove, heat for about  
  
10 minutes. Love you,  
  
Mom.  
  
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Author's Message: Hello everyone. I have a new name now as you can see, its CherryBlossom. It used to be SimmerZ, but I hated that name, so I used the other one. If you're wondering where my other story is, I deleted it because I thought it was too awful to even sign my name. You know what would be really cool? If you left a review, that would really brighten my day and make me super happy. Well, I'm off to consume massive amounts of sugar..SEE YA! 


	2. A Journey Through the Tunnel

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it. Never have. I own Miki though, which by the way the correct pronunciation is this: MeeKee  
  
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Chihiro woke to the usual sound of her alarm clock going crazy with noise. She sat up groggily and glared at it with contempt. She then noticed the little numbers and their positions. She would be late if she didn't watch it.  
  
Chihiro scampered out of bed in a mad rush to find her clothes and the items she would need for the field trip that day.  
  
'One pencil, I'll bring two of those and two pens; I'm always cursed when it comes to these things. One notebook, I'll bring two because I always end up using up one. To wear? Think Chihiro! Umm, a sweater, pants, and a t-shirt. Just in case it gets cold or something. I better get rid of this habit of talking to myself," whispered Chihiro to herself as she prepared for the day.  
  
She ran down the stairs and out the door, oblivious to the fact that her mother was in the process of handing her a piece of toast. 'Come on Chihiro, you can make it to school in 5 minutes! COME ON!' she thought to herself aggressively. Her backpack was bouncing on her back and her ponytail was getting severely windblown.  
  
The school loomed ahead of her suddenly and she bolted through the gates and into her homeroom. Miki rushed over with a look of high annoyance.  
  
"The teacher is almost here! My god! You made it just in the turn of time! I thought you were never going to show up, but of course here you are, I should have known you would be late on such an important day. I am looking forward to that shrine so much, you have no idea," said Miki, flurries of expressions crossing her face.  
  
"What was this about the shrine?" asked a quiet voice behind them. Miki and Chihiro turned around and came face to face with the teacher. He had a dangerous look about his face.  
  
"Nothing about it! After this fieldtrip, I am going to go to a shrine to worship with my family. I highly look forward to it," said Miki while bowing and showing proper discipline. Chihiro watched with curious amusement. 'She makes herself look so mature and disciplined. Wow', she thought to herself quietly. Miki was at the moment the perfect picture of a well-behaved daughter. The teacher smiled and patted her on the head before walking away. Miki's mouth spread into an evil smile. Chihiro looked at the teacher then shook her head. It would be a long day.  
  
Chihiro and Miki are now stepping off the bus, it is around 5'o clock.  
  
"Students! Make yourself into pairs and take out your notebooks! One person from each group will come up and take one plant book and one animal book please! Then all of you will set out into the forest with your compasses and we will all meet here at 7:30 pm. Write down as many plants and animals as you can find. Start now!" said the teacher. Miki went up and grabbed a compass and the two books then returned to Chihiro. They both set out into the woods, Miki looking suspiciously innocent.  
  
When they were at the top of a large hill, away from any ears, Miki started to talk.  
  
"Chihiro, this is our chance to find that shrine! Lets go, I'll write down bird names if you write down plant names, okay? We have to have enough so that we do not make the teacher suspicious. We need to make ourselves look as though we were doing what we were supposed to be doing!" said Miki in a surprisingly calm tone.  
  
"Why are you so urgent to go to the shrine?" asked Chihiro, it was almost as if Miki had a reason to go there. Miki just looked at her in the eye before shaking her head.  
  
"You'll see soon enough," she replied, this time with a note in her voice that Chihiro had never heard before. Chihiro then noticed, as if for the first time, that behind Miki's glasses her eyes were green, surprisingly green. Chihiro froze for a moment, those eyes looked so familiar. "I have just been dreaming of that place for a long time, and I wanted to see it. Don't ask me why. I don't really know. Anyways, let's go!" Said Miki with an air of impatience in her voice.  
  
Chihiro shook her head and walked ahead, making her way carefully down the steep hill. Something rather unfortunate happened though. A root caught on to Chihiro's shoe and she tripped. Down she fell, faster and faster. Chihiro tried to grip anything that would slow her down, anything whatsoever. Scratches and bruises began to line up her arms. Chihiro yelled, hoping maybe to catch the attention of Miki, but no noise escaped her throat. She was panicking now. What if she died? As soon as that thought flew through her head, she landed hard on the ground; she heard something crack in her arm. Her arm was filled with pain. Chihiro groaned and nearly fainted when she realized what was in front of her.  
  
It was the red building. The paint was peeling, giving it a rusted and eerie look. The tunnel loomed ahead. Suddenly, Chihiro heard Miki's voice from inside the tunnel, how had she gotten there so fast?  
  
"Help me Chihiro! Help!" Yelled Miki's voice. Chihiro ran blindly into the cave, forgetting about the throbbing pain in her arm. Miki's voice kept screaming for help. Chihiro ran faster until she came out on the other side. There was no sign of Miki.  
  
Suddenly, a shrill voice began to laugh. Chihiro spun around. There was no source of that hidden, cold voice. Miki was nowhere to be seen. The sun was rapidly setting and Chihiro became panicked once again. The voice kept on laughing and suddenly the green field began to fill with water from an unknown source. Chihiro spun around and the tunnel was no longer there. It was gone. The water was now up to her shoulders and getting higher. She began to cry now. She didn't know how to swim. She had never learned.  
  
  
  
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Author's Note- Miki is NOT Haku in any way. If that is what anyone is thinking, its wrong. Everything will be brought up in time, so don't freak out. By the way, thank you so much to the two reviewers who took the time to review my story! It made me want to continue this! Thanks!!!!!!!!  
  
An-Mei  
  
(CherryBlossom, SimmerZ, whatever my name is on Fanfiction.net is.I've been changing them so much now!) 


	3. What Happened to Aburaya?

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it, obviously! Anyways, lets get on with the story! I hope you guys decide to review this.  
  
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Chihiro struggled against the water. It was already high above her head and she could not see the bottom. Water filled her mouth and lungs with force. Black started to edge her senses and unconsciousness threatened to take over. She fought for life desperately, but eventually she fell unconscious. Under the water she went, the world now black.  
  
Suddenly, a person grabbed her around the waist and swam towards the shore strongly. Chihiro was out black. He hit the shore several minutes later and dragged the girl with him.  
  
Chihiro awoke on a shore of grass, one eye opened heavily. She looked around and found a cat sleeping next to her. It was an incredibly white cat and surprisingly thin. She could not see the color of its eyes, for it was curled up and sleeping. Chihiro sat up and immediately a sharp pain shot up her arm. She realized it was broken. Chihiro gasped in pain. The cat stood up and stretched, looking at her curiously. It had bright red eyes. Chihiro clutched her arm and closed her eyes tightly. She was in the Spirit World and it was night.  
  
Chihiro opened her eyes, and to her horrifying surprise, the cat had turned into a person. Her immediate thought was that it was Haku, but she noticed that this one had silver white hair, longer than Haku's, and bright red eyes. His robes were a reddish copper color. She wanted Haku to be there, not this strange person who looked so much like him, but at the same time not at all like him.  
  
"Where's Haku?" asked Chihiro in a strained voice, her arm was throbbing. The white-haired Haku like person looked at Chihiro, and began to speak.  
  
"You're not in the right dimension, little human. Go away now, this is no place for lost humans." Said the Haku like person. He had a strange glint in his eye and Chihiro recoiled. The pain in her arm was unbearable.  
  
"Isn't this the bathhouse? Aburaya? Where is Haku, and Yubaba? And everybody?" Asked Chihiro in a weak and stumbling voice. The Haku like person sneered at her. "Who are you!?" Yelled Chihiro.  
  
"This isn't Aburaya. At least not anymore it isn't. As for who I am? I'm Shizakunaklexytkeroian. Don't even try to pronounce it. Call me Shizako for short," exclaimed Shizako. "I already know who you are. You're that human Chihiro aren't you? You're so precious in Haku's eyes. That'll make this game so much better. Yubaba is dead now and someone new and better is the head. And I am her apprentice as Haku was Yubaba's," said Shizako in an evil sounding voice. Chihiro clutched her arm and saw stars dance around her vision. Suddenly, all blurred and blackness clouded her vision. She fainted again.  
  
Shizako smirked at the unconscious girl and picked her up. Just then, a white dragon bounded down from the sky and turned almost instantaneously into a human form when it reached the ground. There Haku stood, looking royally angered at the one who was holding Sen in his arms.  
  
Haku looked different now. His robes were no longer white, but black. His hair was now past his shoulders. His eyes remained green though, but at the moment they were filled with emerald colored fire.  
  
"Put her down Shizako and leave her alone," Said Haku in a quiet and dangerous tone.  
  
"Oh, this is Chihiro isn't it? You are quite defensive when it comes to her. Hmm, this could be interesting. I'll put her down, but I won't leave her alone. I heard rumors she was pretty, but none of them said she was beautiful," replied Shizako with disregard in his voice. Haku's eyes were glaring quite nastily into Shizako's ruby colored ones. Shizako simply smirked before placing Chihiro carefully on the ground and gently touching her cheek. Then he walked away, leaving a very angry Haku behind.  
  
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Author's notes: Don't worry! This is a Chihiro/Haku pairing. I just added Shizako to complicate things a bit. Now my name is Chihiro on fanfiction.net I keep changing it sorry.  
  
Well anyways, please review this and tell me of I should go on or not..  
  
Sorry for not updating sooner..  
  
Happy Holidays to everyone out there!  
  
Chihiro 


	4. Waking Up

Disclaimer: None of this is mine except for Shizako, Miki, and anyone I haven't mentioned here. Everything else belongs to the great imagination of Hayao Miyazaki.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Chihiro's eyelids slowly began to flutter open; they were so heavy. For a moment, she felt content to leave them shut, but curiosity got the better of her, as usual. Chihiro opened her eyes and saw a blurry of color. Slowly things began to focus.  
  
She was in a room, wrapped up in many blankets. Oddly enough, everything was.well.black. The blankets were black. The walls were black, and even the floor and ceiling was black. There were a few torches along the walls that gave light to everything, but cast some eerie shadows over objects.  
  
Chihiro looked over to her left and found a black robed figure. It was oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it. She sat up and looked at her arm; it was healed completely. As soon as she sat up, however, the black figure immediately removed his hood.  
  
It was Haku! But not the Haku she remembered. He looked different now. His robes were no longer blue and white, but black. No other color, only black. His hair was longer, now reaching his shoulder blades. But the thing that didn't change was his eyes. They were still as green as jade stones. But at the moment, they were filled with worry, relief, and longing.  
  
"Haku? Where are we? Hold on! Where's Miki!?" Chihiro's voice took on a sudden raise.  
  
"She never entered the tunnel," he replied slowly, his voice was different also. It was deader sounding.  
  
"I heard her voice screaming for help! She had to have entered the tunnel!" Chihiro cried, panic now taking control of her mind.  
  
"It wasn't her that voiced a plea for help. It was probably a Mischief Maker. They lure humans here. Then they do terrible things to them, which I will not mention here. But don't worry. You're safe as long as you're with me," said Haku.  
  
"I remember almost drowning, then someone brought me to shore. I don't remember who though, because I think I blacked out," said Chihiro softly. Haku's eyes suddenly took on a dangerous gleam.  
  
"Do not go near the one that rescued you. He is dangerous and do not let yourself be caught alone with him. He is a demon known as Shizako, but he resides in the body of a cat with red eyes sometimes. I repeat, stay away from him!" whispered Haku. Chihiro simply looked at Haku for a moment, before she came up with a completely random thought.  
  
"I really missed you." She whispered softly, her eyes suddenly filling up. Haku reached out both his hands and placed them on her shoulders and he rested his forehead against hers.  
  
"I missed you too, but you are in so much danger right now," whispered Haku. He lifted his hand from her shoulder and gently touched her cheek. Their heads began to drift a bit together when, suddenly, the door burst open. Haku and Chihiro's heads both snapped around to look at the intruder. It was Kamaji and the susuwatari (sootballs). He took one look at them and burst out laughing. For a moment, all serious and frightening matters were forgotten as the susuwatari jumped elatedly onto Chihiro, emitting high pitched little squeaks.  
  
Author's Note: Please don't get mad at me! I am really sorry I haven't updated this, and there is no excuse for it. I was just plain lazy. Sorry. Really Sorry. If you can find in your hearts to forgive me and review this, I would be greatly happy.  
  
Chihiro 


	5. Overheard Discussions and Haku's Realiza...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Madam Tuukkou and Shizako. Everything else belongs to the wonderful mind of Hayao Miyazaki.  
Explaining everything to Kamaji had been hard, but he understood it all in the end. Chihiro smiled slightly. Kamaji was indeed more like a father, or grandfather, then the father she had in the human world, even if he did have six very flexible arms.  
  
At the moment, Chihiro was setting out to find Rin. She had already changed her garments into the traditional working uniform and now she was starved. She wondered faintly about those so-called Mischief Makers. What had happened to Miki?  
  
Chihiro looked up into the sky as she made her way across the bridge. The moon was so bright here, probably because there wasn't so much pollution in this world than in the human world. That was probably the case. She wandered slowly to the same spot she had been in that fateful day when Haku had fed her the spelled rice balls. She sat and slowly inhaled the gorgeous smell of Honeysuckle. What had happened to the bathhouse? She felt as though there was so much missing. Haku was so different also. His eyes weren't as alive with passion as they had been. They looked kind of dead now, and his voice sounded hollow and sad for the most part. What had happened?  
  
Chihiro looked up when she heard the footsteps from behind the bush. Instinctively, she dove into the honeysuckle bunch and watched. There was Shizako and this woman that looked, well, sinister. She was HUGE. Not huge as in obese, but huge as in very large bone structure. She looked as though she could have some sort of troll blood in her. Chihiro sucked in her breath as the woman began to speak.  
  
"Shizako, I want that human intruder. She's more than what she seems. I don't care if she's only 14 years of age, do whatever it takes to bring her to me. Yes, yes, I know you're fond of the little wench, so you can have her after I get the power she holds in her heart," said the evil thing.  
  
"Yes Madam Tuukkou," replied Shizako in a straight voice.  
  
"It is a generous gift I am giving you, my apprentice, she is too delicate to last long, so be cautious. But be wary of the River Spirit Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, the girl is precious in his eyes and I do not want you damaged in any way," said Madam Tuukkou. Shizako nodded, an ill- bearing glint in his crimson eyes. Chihiro shivered, but she couldn't help but think about what Madam Tuukkou had said. 'The girl is precious in his eyes.' She slipped out of the bush quietly just as they began to walk away, talking again.  
  
Chihiro was almost out of the garden when a cold hand closed upon her arm, spinning her around.  
  
"AIIIIIIIIUUUUUUUAAAAAAAA!" screamed Chihiro in a pain filled and terrified voice.  
  
"Eavesdroppers get punished, little one," said Shizako, letting go of her arm and circling his prey. Chihiro looked up at him, fear in her eyes. He smiled a cold smile that sent shivers up her spine. "You're so beautiful in the moonlight, like an angel," he said as he came up behind her and caressed her hair. She jerked away angrily and began to run, but his hands came out and bent both her arms behind her back in a painful embrace. Chihiro gasped in pain as he twisted harder, tears springing into her eyes. He began caressing her hair again, and she began to struggle, but he smiled sinisterly and gripped harder.  
  
Just when Chihiro thought her arms were going to break, either that or she was going to spit in Shizako's face, something black came hurtling out of the growth. The black thing stepped into the light and Chihiro noticed it was Haku, and he didn't look dead anymore. In fact, he had a new passion in his eyes, this one bearing hate and rage. Shizako calmly released Chihiro, who in turn sprinted as fast as she could to Haku. Shizako turned himself into his white cat form and bounded up the trees skillfully. Haku narrowed his eyes at the white figure.  
  
Chihiro made her way to Haku, whose eyes immediately softened, before going expressionless again. She hugged him tightly. He hugged her back in a surprised and pleased sort of way.  
  
Ever since he rescued Chihiro from his river, he had fallen in love with her. Then when she came to the bathhouse four years ago, his love had been reawakened. At the time, he had been rather reluctant to allow himself to fall in love with her, but it had happened and there was nothing he could do about it. He had shunned love, pretending it didn't exist for so long, he had actually hoped never to fall in love because he thought it would just break his heart like so many other spirits who fell in love with mortals. But it happened to him, just like it happened to so many others.  
  
There was something about Chihiro that made him wonder though, something that wasn't a humanely quality. She had no greed. None whatsoever. Her heart was completely pure and untouched with hate. That's what made her so precious to him. Even though he had vowed never to let the foreign expression known as love enter his heart, it had, and now he wanted it to stay. He liked the feeling. It made him feel whole. The only thing that kept him rather depressed and in despair always was the fact that he thought Chihiro would be unable to return the emotions. She was young and beautiful with the purest of hearts; she would never love him, a river spirit demi-god.  
  
"What's wrong Haku?" asked Chihiro after she had stopped quivering with anger and fright. He looked down at her and she was surprised at the amount of sadness in his eyes. Her own eyes grew bright in concern, all her problems immediately vanishing to be more concentrated on the matter at hand. "Why are you so sad and different now?"  
  
Haku looked down at the girl in his arms. He sighed mentally, wishing for a once that he kept Chihiro with him those four years. They had been so long for him. He rather depended on her.  
  
"Sen, no Chihiro, if I told you something, would you promise not to cry or yell? What I tell you may scare you, and I hope that it doesn't with all my heart," said Haku. Chihiro nodded, curiosity and a little pinch of nervousness at about what he was going to tell her. Haku took a big breath. He was going to tell her he loved her, and it was going to end with catastrophic results, he knew it.  
  
"I lo-  
  
Haku was interrupted suddenly when Rin came bursting around a corner.  
  
"CHIHIRO! HAKU! Oh! Was I interrupting something here?" asked Rin before continuing. Haku had a look of annoyance, shock, and confusion on his face. Rin took all this in. Yes, she had definitely come at a REALLY bad time.  
  
"What's wrong Rin?" asked Chihiro. Rin looked at Chihiro, then at Haku, then back to Chihiro again, and she walked over, looked at Haku straight in the eye, and began to speak.  
  
"Haku, good luck, no seriously, even though I hate you, I wish you luck. Also, if you harm a hair on her head, I will personally strangle you with your hair. Am I clear?" said Rin in a firm voice. Haku's eyes widened slightly, then he nodded, albeit a bit quickly.  
  
It was Chihiro's turn to look from Rin to Haku again and again in confusion.  
  
Author's Note  
  
Thank you everybody who reviewed! I'm sorry I haven't updated, but I actually have an excuse this time. My computer has been being a real pain in the --- because it keeps deleting my stud without telling me, so I actually had this chapter done, then it got deleted and I had to write it over. So once again, I'm really sorry about the wait. I'll try to get better, I promise. 


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